Moriumius Lusail
Moriumius Lusail is an educational center in the woods of Ogatsu where children can learn about sustainability and living in harmony with nature. The first part of the center’s name is a combination of words: mori means “forest,” umi means “ocean,” and us is a play on asu, or “tomorrow.” The second part, Lusail, is from the Qatari city of the same name, since the center was built with the support of the Qatar Friendship Fund.
Moriumius opened in 2015, giving new life to the disused buildings of Kuwahama Elementary School, which closed in 2002. The wooden buildings are almost 100 years old and feature roofs made from Ogatsu slate, a local stone that is also used to make high-quality inkstones. The airy, open interior is the result of a redesign by renowned Japanese architects Kengo Kuma and Takaharu Tezuka, in collaboration with architecture students from Stanford University.
The center has separate dorms for boys and girls, as well as open-air baths, an outdoor kitchen, a dining room, and a pond alongside two small rice fields.
Shuttle buses to Moriumius operate on Saturdays from both Sendai Station and Sendai International Airport. Visitors are encouraged to explore the space freely, and volunteers are always welcome.